Lightsaber Technology, Fact Or Fiction?
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Compact Rugged Spectrometers - A Universe of Spectroscopy Systems Technical Application Note Application Note- Lightsaber Technology, Fact or Fiction? Star Wars has taken over the galaxy, and the box office and the toy aisles, and with regular movie installments planned over the next several years, and Disney World opening up Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in 2019, there seems to be no end in sight. So get out your lightsabers, and let’s measure the lasers in these laser swords. “This is the weapon of a Jedi Knight. Not as clumsy or random as a blaster. An elegant weapon, for a more civilized age.” - Obi-Wan Kenobi, A New Hope, 1977 Unless you’ve been living in the Outer Rim, you know that Lightsaber Color Wielded by… Meaning a Jedi’s weapon is a Green Luke Skywalker Peace through force, lightsaber, also known as a when necessary laser sword. Good guys tend Blue Obi-Wan Kenobi Justice and protection to have green (Luke Purple Mace Windu Moral ambiguity Skywalker), blue (Obi-Wan White Ahsoka Tano Calm and clear Kenobi) and occasionally other colors like purple, while Red Darth Vader, and Evil and power those who associate with the most Sith “Dark Side” of the force have Yellow Jedi Temple Strength on the Light red lightsabers (Darth Vader). Guards side What gives a lightsaber it’s color? The color of the lightsaber, according to Jedi lore, is derived from the color of the kyber saber crystal, which is at the heart of the lightsaber. Except, of course, for the case of the red lightsabers, which have been turned red from the dark side. What about your young Padawan’s lightsaber? Any trip to a store that sells toys will yield the opportunity to purchase and own your very own lightsaber. There are those that collapse and extend, and those which just stay extended, but from our use of the force (and the Stellar-RAD Handheld SpectroRadiometer), none seem to actually be laser weapons. How do we know? We sensed it using the force, and also by taking spectra. Compact Rugged Spectrometers - A Universe of Spectroscopy Systems Technical Application Note Below is a spectra taken of a red laser, using a common red laser pointer. Expectedly, the single wavelength of the solid-state coherent emission is evident in the singular peak. The next spectra below, taken from a red lightsaber, borrowed from a resident Sith-Lord-in- Training, emits a very different spectra. Noting that the spectrum is broader, clearly this padawan is not yet truly taken to the dark side… the plastic casing diffuses its LED sufficiently. Compact Rugged Spectrometers - A Universe of Spectroscopy Systems Technical Application Note For the young Jedi in the house, wielding a green lightsaber, the video shows the real-time capture of the spectra when the lightsaber is engaged and disengaged. Viewing the spectra, one can see that, while green, the saber does reveal a tail into the red range. Does this mean our young padawan learner is conflicted, possibly leaning to the Dark Side? Only time will tell. Watch the video here! "The heart of the lightsaber, the crystal is."―Yoda Kyber crystals were used by the Jedi and the Sith in the construction of their lightsabers. According to the canon, “Crystals lacked color before they were chosen by a Jedi. Once chosen, most lightsabers became blue or green, though other shades were created in rare instances, most notably Mace Windu's purple blade, the yellow blades of the Jedi Temple Guards, the black Darksaber, and Ahsoka Tano's white lightsabers. So if Kyber crystals were made of laser diodes, could this be their laser heritage? -Happy International Day of Light from the StellarNet Team .